It is probably a prank which will not go down well with hundreds of people who are still struggling to withdraw their hard-earned money from the ATMs. A State Bank of India ATM in South Delhi's Sangam Vihar dispensed fake Rs 2,000 notes. The note, as reported by Hindustan Times, looked normal at first glance but on careful observation, there are about 10 major bloopers in them.

The incident, which has come to light only now, first took place on 6 February, when a customer care executive named Rohit withdrew Rs 8,000 from the ATM, only to find them to be fake. Later, he filed a complaint with the police.

Representational image. PTI

"All the four notes that I withdrew were fake," the daily quoted Rohit as saying.

“We sent a sub-inspector to verify the allegations. He withdrew one Rs 2,000 note and that also turned out to be fake,” the police was quoted by Outlook as saying.

The errors in the notes are funny. Instead of Bharatiya Reserve Bank, the note states Bharatiya Manoranjan Bank. The rupee sign is missing while instead of the usual leaf markings on the right hand corner, the note has a "Churan label". The gaffes become funnier as instead of the RBI seal, the note had the "PK" logo, while the Reserve Bank of India was transformed to "Children Bank of India."

While the real note has the signature of the governor of the RBI, the fake note instead had no signature at all. Moreover, the legal tender is backed by the "Children Government."

The perpetrators of this cruel joke have not yet been caught. A case has been registered at Sangam Vihar police station, reported DNA.

"A Prime Minister who can't even print notes properly; how can he run the country? He has reduced the whole nation into a laughing stock," the Aam Aadmi Party leader tweeted.

On 8 November, the government scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and introduced a new Rs 2,000 note into the economy. The incident comes after the government reiterated that the new notes cannot be counterfeited. The Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das had also added that counterfeiting the new notes would be very low as they are completely indigenous.